Your link to Northwest Indiana. tm
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From Our Founder “Did ya want my opinion, did ya want me there? Or were ya just going through the motions… and didn’t really care.” You probably did not know that “once upon a time” Wichlinski wrote music… well I did… a quarter of century and another life ago… but that is not what this article is about. It’s a about business/civic meetings & events scheduled during the summer months. When I had my first business back in 1983, Chris (my biz partner at the time) and I learned a lesson that serves me to this very day. We had a small service business and our clients included General Motors, RCA, Tenneco-Case, Federal Signal, Inland Steel, and a whole bunch of companies “of profile” in the U.S.. I peddled the product and Chris handled production. We noticed early on, that the summer months were slow in terms of sales. If we wanted work for our people to do during the summer it was imperative that we have it booked, engineered, and started before Memorial Day. We also learned that while summer could be used for pre-sales, business development, relationship building (or healing); it was naďve to expect a decision on ANYTHING until after Labor Day. We were a couple of young dummies and never took the time to study the anatomy of the “summer effect,” but we recognized it and accounted for it in our business plan. Later in life I would reflect back and come to understand the “summer effect” with greater clarity. That clarity came to me as I matured, married, built a home, and began having children while simultaneously growing my business. I was “getting a life.” I discovered that the decision to commit corporate/civic resources to a project or make a purchase required the presence of the decision-makers. Examples of business or civic decision-makers include: chairmen, board members, executives (Prez, V.P.s, CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, CFO, CSO), managers, directors, department heads, elected officials, deputies and senior staffers. Decision-makers are real people. As other real people with other “real lives,” summertime is when decision-makers typically vacation, pursue climate-friendly activities, or hang with their kids because their kids are out of school. Summertime is when the kids play baseball, softball, soccer and other outdoor sports and parents enjoying watching or coaching. Summertime is vacations at the lake. Summertime is camp and retreats and tournaments. Summertime is Memorial day, the 4th, and Labor day. Summertime is County Fair and Fests. Summertime is travel & adventure. Summertime is backyard projects. Summertime is GOLF! If you want to sell a grill, new set of irons, touring sedan, backyard furniture, boat, camp stove, cooler, horseshoe set, tent, ice, fast food, gallons upon gallons of gasoline, Frisbee, fishing tackle, new scotch comb, new saddle, cold beer, animal feed, live bait, wheel barrow, GPS or radio, even a new home, barn, or timeshare, then Memorial Day to Labor Day is your hunting season… the decision-makers are in the zone and focused on matters of home, hobby, health, family, leisure, vacation and adventure. Everything else… wait ‘til after Labor Day. This begs the question; who would schedule a meeting, hearing, summit, or conference during the summer? Answer: a person who defies the “summer effect” and somehow believes their organization is immune (gambler), or someone who is using the “summer effect” to their strategic advantage (manipulator). Either approach does not appear to be the formula for sound, sustainable, sensible solutions. As always, I can be reached via e-mail at b@219.com |
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